§ 46. Mr. Spearingasked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he has reached any conclusion concerning the representations he has received concerned with questions in the House relating to Foreign and Commonwealth affairs.
§ Mr. St. John-StevasI refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer during Business Questions last week to a question from the right hon. Member for Lanark (Dame Judith Hart). As I explained, I have now concluded an arrangement whereby time for general Foreign Office questions will be increased by 25 per cent. over a full year, by shifting Overseas Development questions to a different day and allowing general Foreign Office questions to run on until ten-past three instead of three as they do now.
§ Dr. Edmund Marshallasked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the present position in respect of his consideration of the need to increase the 445W length of time available for oral questions to the Lord Privy Seal on subjects other than the European Communities and Overseas Development.
§ Mr. St. John-StevasI refer the hon. Gentleman to my reply to the right hon. Member for Lanark (Dame Judith Hart) during Business Questions on 7 February 1980.
The full changes will be as follows. Every fourth Wednesday, starting on 12 March, general Foreign and Commonwealth Office questions will be able to continue until 3.10 pm instead of 3 pm. European Community questions will have the remainder of the time.
Overseas Development questions will be moved to the Mondays when Trade questions are first on the Order Paper, to start not later than 3.20, and this new arrangement will begin on 3 March.
Church Commissioners questions will as a consequence be moved to the Mondays when Welsh questions are first on the Order Paper. Starting on 17 March, Church Commissioners questions will be taken not later than 3.10 pm. Duchy of Lancaster questions will follow not later than at 3.15 pm, and Arts questions will then be taken not later than at 3.20 pm.